If you're Flower City Habitat for Humanity, you do it one home at a time.

Oh, and by fighting zombies too.

On Thursday, the nonprofit home building organization celebrated its new Vacant and Abandoned Homes pilot project on the steps of a home under renovation at 112 Parsells Ave.

When completed, it will be owned by Rene Hagins of Rochester, a first-time homebuyer.

"It's been a wonderful experience," said Hagins, standing on what will soon be her front porch. "It's been a long, hard journey, but it's a great partnership and I'm super excited."

The pilot program, a partnership with the city of Rochester, aims to eliminate some of the troublesome vacant and abandoned, or "zombie," properties that plague communities like the Beechwood neighborhood, which includes Parsells Avenue.

How does it work?

Soon-to-be homeowner Rene Hagins stands on the steps of 112 Parsells Avenue with local officials and volunteers and staff of Flower City Habitat for Humanity(Photo11: Meaghan M. McDermott)

The Rochester Land Bank assisted Habitat for Humanity in acquiring five vacant and abandoned homes around the city that the organization intends to renovate and turn over to homeowners this year: on Akron Street, Parsells Avenue, Del Monte Street, Fernwood Street and Barberry Terrace.

More are planned for renovations in 2019.

Just like with other Habitat programs, individuals who wish to obtain a home must demonstrate an ability to pay for the house, demonstrate need and show a willingness to partner with the organization. That partnership includes sweat equity, proof of income and savings, attending financial literacy and other classes and providing a down payment and a portion of closing costs. The loans through Habitat are interest-free.

The first two homes to be finished under the program are being funded with $50,000 per house in a combination of Land Bank money and philanthropic funds. Funders include the August Foundation, M&T Bank, Bank of America, ESL Charitable Foundaion, Fastrac Markets and Sonya and Carl Christensen.

Why zombie homes?

Matthew Flanigan, CEO of Flower City Habitat, said the need to address vacant and abandoned houses is clear: It's estimated that such houses across Monroe County reduce the value of nearby properties by at least $11 million.

And, he said, a National Bureau of Economic Research study has shown there's a 19 percent increase in violent crimes around zombie homes.

"So it's really important for all of us to take these homes and turn them around while we still can," he said.

The pilot program was sparked last year by a call from Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who wanted to know if Flanigan would be willing to step out of his organization's comfort zone of building new houses and into something new.

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Deputy Mayor Cedric Alexander said given the city's affordable housing crisis — estimates are that Monroe County needs 28,000 more "affordable" housing units to meet the needs of low-income residents — attacking the problems of vacant housing and housing need together made perfect sense.

As for the vacant properties, he said, "they're dangerous and reduce the value of properties nearby. We're not talking about the cool dancing zombies from the Michael Jackson video, these are the ugly, scary zombies from The Walking Dead and left unchecked, they can suck the life out of Rochester's communities."

City Council President Loretta Scott said pairing up the city with Habitat seemed a perfect match.

"The whole issue of zombie homes, well, that that's a relatively new term, but it's not a new condition," she said. "We've seen that around our neighborhoods for years and years and as elected officials and community advocates, we work hard at addressing it but it's almost like you need to throw up your hands. But to have this other tool, another weapon to deal with that is absolutely phenomenal."

What does it take?

Making a long abandoned and vacant home habitable again is no easy task.

First, potential structures must be tested for lead, asbestos and other issues before the can even be considered as potential candidates for rehabilitation. Some remediation issues are too costly to tackle.

If a home is brought into the program, as was 112 Parsells Ave., rehab can entail stripping the interior back to the studs, installing new piping, electrical systems, insulation and ventilation systems. The homes also get new windows, doors, driveways, roofs and siding so the homeowner moving in doesn't have any immediate worries about maintenance issues.

On Thursday, the ongoing work was apparent. The walls were still bare studs and workers were still stringing wires and installing switches and lights.

Still, Hagins said she hopes to move in within the next few months.

Sweeping her sidewalk of grass clippings, Jenice Stedman watched the hubbub at the Habitat house a few yards away. She was taking advantage of Thursday's sunshine to weed her flower beds and neaten the yard. She's lived on Parsells Avenue for 25 years and owns her home. Her end of the street, she said, is the good end, and she'd like to see the neighborliness there expand to the whole Beechwood neighborhood.

Seeing another new homeowner move near her is a blessing, she said. Homeowners care more about their properties than do the renters, she said. And when 112 Parsells was vacant, it drew a bad crowd.

"Kids would break in, they stole the pipes, the plumbing, I even caught some carrying out the hot water heater," she said. "But seeing someone move in, that is a beautiful thing and I'm thrilled."

Flower City Habitat for Humanity

As of 2017, Flower CIty Habitat has built more than 240 homes in Rochester, including 85 within a half mile of School 17 in the city's Jay Orchard Street Area Neighborhood Association area. The local chapter of the nondenominational Christian organization was founded in 1984. It is one of the largest Habitat affiliates in the northeast.

For more information on becoming a volunteer with Flower City Habitat for Humanity, visit rochesterhabitat.org

To report a vacant or abandoned property in your neighborhood to the statewide register, call (800) 342-3736